Birds nocturnal

Cook's Petrel

Pterodroma cookii

A master of the Pacific winds, the Cook's Petrel is a rare, high-flying seabird that nests in the misty forests of New Zealand's offshore islands. Known for its striking 'M' wing pattern and nocturnal mountain treks, this 'gadfly' petrel is a true marvel of island evolution.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length: 25–30 cm (10–12 in); Wingspan: 65–67 cm (25–26 in); Weight: 170–210 g (6–7.4 oz)

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Colors

Pale pearl-grey upperparts with a distinctive dark 'M' pattern across the wings; pure white underparts and underwings; black bill; blue-grey legs with pinkish-yellow webs.

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Key Features

Distinctive dark 'M' marking across the upper wings in flight
Small, slender black bill with a hooked tip
Pale grey forehead with white scaling or 'scalloping'
Pure white underparts and underwings with narrow dark trailing edges

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern nocturnal

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Peak hours 10 PM - 3 AM (on land); sunrise/sunset (at sea)

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Season October-April

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Diet Primarily squid, small fish, and pelagic crustaceans caught by 'dipping' or seizing prey from the water's surface while in flight.

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Habitat Pelagic (open ocean) for most of the year; nests in burrows on high-elevation forested ridges of offshore islands.

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Behavior

Cook’s Petrels are high-speed aerialists of the open ocean, spending the vast majority of their lives at sea. During the breeding season, they return to New Zealand’s offshore islands, where they become strictly nocturnal to avoid predation by gulls and skuas. They are known for their frantic, erratic flight patterns and their distinctive 'kek-kek-kek' calls heard over the nesting colonies at night.

On land, these birds are surprisingly clumsy, using their wings and beaks to scramble across the forest floor into underground burrows. They are highly social within their colonies but solitary at sea. While they rarely interact with humans directly, they are extremely sensitive to light pollution, which can disorient fledglings and cause them to crash-land in urban areas—a phenomenon known as 'fallout' that requires human intervention for the birds to survive.

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Camera Tips

Capturing a Cook’s Petrel on camera is a specialized task typically reserved for island conservation projects or coastal properties near breeding colonies. Since these birds are burrow-nesters, the best placement for an AI-powered camera is approximately 1 to 2 feet off the ground, angled downward toward a known burrow entrance. Ensure the camera is positioned 3 to 5 feet away from the hole to capture the bird's full body as it lands or emerges. Because they are strictly nocturnal on land, a camera with high-quality infrared (no-glow) LEDs is essential to avoid scaring the birds or attracting predators to the site.

If you are monitoring for 'fallout' (disoriented fledglings) in coastal New Zealand communities, place cameras near open, flat areas or rooftops where grounded birds might seek shelter. However, never use food or lures for Cook’s Petrels; they do not respond to traditional backyard birdseed or suet. Instead, their 'lure' is their own social vocalization. If you are part of a permitted conservation project, acoustic lures (recordings of petrel calls) can be used to attract them to specific restoration areas where your cameras are set.

Set your camera to 'Video Mode' with a 15–20 second duration. These birds move very quickly and awkwardly on the ground, and a still photo might only capture a blur. A high trigger speed (under 0.5 seconds) is vital to catch them as they crash-land near their burrows. In terms of timing, focus your monitoring between November and March for breeding activity. Be especially vigilant during the fledging window in late March and April, particularly on foggy or moonless nights when the birds are most likely to be active and visible near their nesting sites.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Cook's Petrel.

Pycroft's Petrel

Very similar in size and color, but Pycroft's has a shorter, stouter bill and a slightly darker crown.

Stejneger's Petrel

Features a darker cap and a more robust bill; rarely seen near New Zealand's mainland compared to Cook's.

Mottled Petrel

Larger with a much darker, distinct grey patch on the belly which Cook's Petrel lacks.

Frequently Asked Questions

On land, Cook's Petrels are strictly nocturnal, arriving at their nesting burrows well after sunset and leaving before dawn to avoid predators. At sea, they can be active both day and night while foraging.

You cannot attract these seabirds with food. They only come to land for breeding on specific forested islands. However, you can help them by turning off unnecessary outdoor lights during their fledging season (March-April) to prevent them from becoming disoriented and landing in your yard.

Their diet consists mainly of small squid, fish, and crustaceans. They are surface feeders, meaning they snatch their food from the top of the ocean waves rather than diving deep.

No, they are quite rare in suburban areas. They are usually only seen in towns if a young bird becomes disoriented by streetlights during its first flight from the mountains to the sea.

These two are very similar, but Cook's Petrel has a slightly paler crown and a more slender bill. Cook's also lacks the very dark 'hood' that often extends further down the neck of a Stejneger's Petrel.

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